


save me, then play with me!

by PersonifiedWeirdness



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Human Shuichi Saihara, Japanese Mythology & Folklore, Kitsune AU, Kitsune Kokichi Ouma, M/M, Not Beta Read, One Shot, haha title and summary are so bad, i have suddenly forgot How To Tag, or well at least i tried
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:06:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24007081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PersonifiedWeirdness/pseuds/PersonifiedWeirdness
Summary: perhaps saving that fox's life was the worst thing in saihara's life. or maybe the best thing?
Relationships: Oma Kokichi/Saihara Shuichi
Comments: 9
Kudos: 95





	save me, then play with me!

War was knocking around the corner.

It was clear for all the villagers—at least those who understood what that meant, no matter how they under or overestimated. The tension between the neighboring village was no secret, no matter how hush hush the higher-ups in the castle kept the whole thing to be. What the general knew was that it was only a matter of time something big would come up, war or not.

Anxiety could be felt in the air, no matter how big or small the aura felt. Saihara, perceptive as he was, often felt the heavier effect of it.

Prior to this, he mostly helped his uncle and aunt run the shops they’d own. But now, he’s gone to help the village in mostly getting resources. Even with his trainings alongside Momota and Harukawa, he knew he wouldn’t be much use in the battlefield. And he didn’t like the thought of fighting either; seeing the blood and fire dance around him. But despite that, it didn’t mean his work was necessarily light. Saihara barely had five minutes to himself, he noticed, always being told to do this or do that. Chores never really ran out, and he did them with a silenced sigh to himself.

Even now in the midst of sunset, he was told to fetch herbal plants in the woods. _Don’t be in there too late_ , his aunt’s advice rang, _spirits scour the forest at night_. Although to be true, Saihara wasn’t the most superstitious—unlike a certain Momota he knew.

And now with a satchel, a map, a list of herbs, and a roll of bandage (in case you got hurt, his uncle said), the blue-haired male followed the main road in the forest.

The whole errand was uneventful for most of the time. Perhaps a bug or an animal Saihara took a few seconds to fawn at silently, then continue doing his job. With the spots where the herbs were harvested, all there was to do was just get there, pluck how many needed, and move on.

The sun continued sinking, and soon the shades of purple and dark blue painted the sky as well. The only thing bothering Saihara was his tiredness, probably, he just felt too groggy to worry about the spirits said to roam the woods at night. Again, he isn’t as superstitious, at least in his standard.

And he’s seen Momota—ever so terrified of ghosts—so maybe his “standard” was somewhat high.

It was already nighttime when he finally finished gathering everything. Taking a deep breath, Saihara let his body slouch on a nearby tree bark not too far from the road. The most he could hear were crickets, the crinkles of leaves and bushes around him, and if he listened close enough, his breath. His eyes would either be closed, or off looking at the sky. Even as the trees covered most of it, the stars peeked through the cracks of the leaves, shining light onto him and the forest.

Suddenly, a yelp ripped through the atmosphere, echoing through the trees and plants. With a sharp breath that drove him out of his daze, Saihara looked around. _Where’d the noise come from?_ a thought rose, as did wary. A bush started to shake more than others, he noticed, as if providing him with an answer. Saihara took slow steps to the source of the noise, noticing that there was a faint growl coming from there as well. All he hopes it’s not a rabid animal, or anything that could potentially kill him.

His hand pushed the bush to peek to the other side. A fox and a dog, he saw, both were wild judging from their behaviors. Aggressive; unless someone had a hunting dog who’s looking to drag the fox to its owner.

He took a step, and dried leaves’ soft crackle from underneath his foot sounded. The dog looked up to Saihara’s way, and bolted into another path so fast it was just a blur, then rustling of another patch of bushes. A soft breath, in an out, and Saihara was glad he didn’t have to deal with that. A whimper—quiet, but enough to draw Saihara’s attention—managed to pull him back to reality. On a rock, was the fox lying there. The moon shined somewhat of a spotlight, reflecting its white fur to look mystical. Well, actually, moon or not, the animal looked as much nonetheless.

The young male took another step forward steadily, eyes glinting in fascination. Its eyes were a light shade of purple. He’s never seen a fox with white fur, and—he didn’t know if it was just an illusion under the moon, but—there were soft blotches of purple on its ears and tail.

He could’ve sworn he saw _several_ tails, but perhaps the tiredness was also getting to him.

The closer he got, the fox was bound to notice him. Its purple eyes got sharper as it landed on Saihara, drawing a mystified breath. Even if the animal could be held in his arms no problem, it still felt like a shadow looming over the male. Despite being under its critical gaze, Saihara managed to pay that no mind and turn his attention to one of its front legs. Broken, seen clearly by the unnatural twist of it. His eyes crinkled gently at the poor animal, and it seems it noticed he noticed.

The fox growled. Saihara responded with a slow huff from his nose, and giving it a soft smile, “I’m not going to hurt you. . .Actually, I have a roll of bandages,” he reached for the bundle, dangling from a rope by his hip, and knelt down at a reasonable distance from the creature.

Its eyes glanced at him, to the roll, and back at him. At the sight of the glinting purple circles softening slightly, Saihara continued forward, slowly.

“I’m going to take care of that, okay. . .?” The male actually wasn’t quite sure how to treat an animal’s broke bone, but he’d try. A hand of his reached out, pausing for a moment to see if the fox would back off or anything along the lines. A wary stare, but otherwise a slight of a welcoming posture. His fingers grasped around the edge of the leg as if it would shatter like glass if he put any more pressure. He was right. A broken bone, caused by a violent hit by a rock or heavy branch. Thankfully, the bone didn’t stick out, cause by then Saihara wouldn’t know how to treat it more than he did now. He looked around for a brief moment, before picking up a relatively straight stick—compared to the other, branch-y twigs, anyway—and put it next to the leg.

The fox whimpered—half yelped at him. He whispered back reassuringly, “I’m sorry that it hurts, I—this’ll be over soon, okay?” As he wrapped it around the leg, he couldn’t help but fall into soft rambles, “You’re very pretty, aren’t you? I doubt you have an owner; people don’t usually have foxes as pets. . .”

The creature under him, Saihara noticed, morphed its gaze into a cautious one—but this one feels different from the last. As if it was waiting for what he’d say next, and would criticize it in its own mind.

“. . .Do you have a name?” He asked abruptly as he tucked the bandage in, “Ah, probably not, huh? Well, either way, you shouldn’t move or try to walk, okay? I would try to bring you to whoever knows better. . .but I don’t know anyone.”

The male backed off after finishing his business, opting to sit at a reasonable distance away from the animal. He has to go home—he knows that, but—something about the fox makes it impossible to draw his eyes away. The moon shining down, glistening its snow white fur doesn’t help with that, either.

“Tsuki.” Saihara mutters out, shifting the fox’s eyes from its injury to him, “Can I call you Tsuki?”

‘Tsuki’ gazed at Saihara with an expression he couldn’t read (he didn’t know _why_ it was, it was a fox for dear’s sake). It tilted its head ever so slightly, then repostured to look more. . .relaxed.

He didn’t know if that was an okay or not.

A loud sound resonating through the forest snapped Saihara out of his trance, whipping his head to the source. After a few moments of silence, he’d only hope that it wasn’t anything dangerous. With a sigh, he turned his head back to Tsuki. . .

. . .to find that he’s gone. Like a spirit that was never actually there.

.

The way home was tiring. Saihara’s exhausted state left his eyelids heavy and body aching to just flop on the ground and sleep. But soon enough, he reaches the outskirts of the forest and would’ve pranced back to his house if he had the energy—so ready to slam his head into his pillow.

No fussing aunt or uncle frantically asking him why he’s so late; they must’ve gone to sleep already. He was thankful, for he most likely wouldn’t survive that without falling unconscious half-way. But that’s all well and good, and so he slipped in his room and dropped his satchel filled with picked herbs and lied his head on his pillow.

He’ll turn the herbs in the morning.

_He wakes up in a forest. Almost the same as the one he just returned from. Almost, as he felt something different about this one. Not sure what, considering it’s very hard to compare wildlife to wildlife but—call it a gut feeling._

_Amongst the dark night and whistling wind, he felt himself doze off again. Until a faint sound gently flooded his ears, much more prominent than the other ones. His eyes snapped open again, wide and awake, and began searching around to find the source. Music, that’s what he heard. He felt compelled to know where it came from, but why? He never formed an answer, as his body began to move, perhaps a little against his will._

_The music faded in and out. The tune was something Saihara never heard—he was sure of it—but it felt like he has. Somewhere, in a far-away land or dream, he’s listened to the breezy music flow through the air._

_Louder. It became louder, and he felt something in his heart spark with excitement at the thought of finding it. Sure enough, he did._ _Behind a tree was. . .a mirror of sort. But it wasn’t like a mirror more of it was a door. A gateway. Where the music was coming from._

_He stepped closer. It was played on a flute, he realized. Closer. Therefore someone has to be playing it, he realized. Closer. He wasn’t alone, he realized._

_Only now he could clearly see what the ‘mirror’ was. Instead of reflecting his image, it looked like a door. A door to a forest similar where he was, but. . .there’s a glow about it. A soft shimmer around everything, the subtle colors changing to look more mystical. Fictional. Fantastical._

_A part of him is whispering to go through the mirror._

_He gripped the edges of it. Gold, he feels. Real, solid gold, beaming off slightly from the moonlight. The closer he looked, small patterns were engraved onto it—like runes. Everything about this is weird. But the best kind of weird, he decides._ _The music, still drifting in the air, just much louder, is akin to an invite to go through. And as if those were strings to his body, his hand lifted up to push the tips of his finger into it. He didn’t even feel like he was doing it; it’s as if his body is hypnotized._

_He freezes, just now realizing what he was doing. Then blinks. Another blink. And unexpectedly, the image on the other side changes. A person, facing back to him in what looks like a very fancy and glamorous kimono, and dark purple-ish hair. And are those. . .ears and tail? No, tails. Plural. It had to be a mythical creature. The playing of the flute burst into his ears, much, much louder now, but it still had a calming, disarming effect on him._

_Saihara opens his mouth. Words don’t come out, and he’s left with parted lips in surprise. Even if he should’ve at least yelped, he didn’t. And so, he just stood there in silence while appreciating the music._

_The flute fades out, signaling it was the end of that song. Saihara thought about leaving, but something about the mysterious person on the other side glued him. Slowly, he sees the clump of dark hair turn to his direction._ _No words were exchanged as the male from the mystical forest slowly walked over to Saihara. The latter wanted to, at least say something about why he was there, but his baited breath prevented that. The soft rustling of the ‘other world’ grass was perhaps the only thing he heard—or he acknowledged to hear, as the sounds in the woods maybe haven’t died down._

_The mysterious male finally stood before Saihara. He’s shorter than him, he realized, but something about his presence made him feel slightly smaller. He had a smile on his lips, but one he couldn’t read, and purple eyes looked at him. Gently, but also calculatingly. That’s what Saihara could tell from it._

_Everything about him glowed. From his skin, his hair, his clothes, his ears and tails—it was a bit overwhelming, but not unwelcomed. Like a god with an ethereal mist surrounding it, making everything seem so. . .surreal. Magical. He supposed, he didn’t know how much of yokais and spirits he was dealing with now. Saihara wasn’t even sure he was breathing from how much he held back one._

_The stranger lifted a hand, the jingles from golden and silver accessories donning him following suit. His smile twitched slightly, as the hand opened, as if waiting for Saihara to take it._

_“Would you like to play a game with me, Saihara-chan?”_

_His voice—his voice was musical. Like gentle windchimes ringing quietly. Saihara didn’t question how he knew his name—he probably should’ve, especially with the fact that he is most likely a kitsune—but. . .the temptation was. . .so strong. For what reason, he couldn’t decipher. It was like tryng to resist falling into an godly enjoyable sin. Perhaps it was, and he didn’t know yet, but. . ._

_Saihara lifted his own, and took his without hesitation._

_“. . .Nishishi, I’ll look forward to this, Saihara Shuichi.”_

**Author's Note:**

> wow, i'm not actually dead and wrote something! anyhoot, i hope you enjoyed, the last part was written by 1 am me so forgive me if there's any mistake.
> 
> on another note, i feel like every other saiouma fic (which is all i've written lmao) will be discontinued. i just have no more motivation to write anymore, and who's to tell if this'll be my last saiou, or heck, even drv3 fic i write.
> 
> hope y'all have a nice day!


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